Sunday, April 29, 2012

We had a chance to sit down with the creator of the new BBC/PBS show Sherlock during SXSW 2012. Here's what he had to say.

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So what do you think of Austin (besides the rain)?

Steven Moffat: Well
I mean, it’s funny, arriving, it doesn’t look as good in the rain. Then the sun
comes up and it just looks right.

What made you want to adapt such an iconic, older piece
into modern times?

SM: Mark and I were
always huge fans of Sherlock Holmes. We preferred the 1940s movies. So we
thought, somebody should do that again, they would have a huge hit. And when
someone does that, we would be cross because we’ll feel like we should have done
it. We had a competition, loads of time, when working on Doctor Who.

My wife said, you should do it. So we went and pitched it.
It happened really, really fast. It was the right time for the idea.

Did you have any trouble with the casting, the process
itself?

SM: No, not really. Benedict
Cumberbatch was the first and only person who read for that role. We saw him in
Atonement. He’s a great performer, very magnetic, sort of weird looking.
Although he wasn’t, at that point, really known, everybody thought he was the
coming man, everyone thought that he was the next big thing in British telly.
So we got him in and he read for the part and there wasn’t a point in carrying
on. We could go and look at other people, but that’s it. We were not going to
do better than that. There isn’t anybody else who was going to be better on
this show. The BBC agreed, so we signed him up.

Then we had to find someone to stand next to him and be
Watson. Watson is very important to Sherlock Holmes, some people would argue
more important than Sherlock Holmes. We saw a lot of people—a lot of brilliant
people—but the critical thing was putting them in the room with Benedict and
seeing how that worked. The very, very first person we saw was Matt Smith, who
a week later I cast as Doctor Who…he was far too like Sherlock Holmes.

When we put Martin and Benedict together, it was very clear
that that was the show. It was an act of genius. It was just very simple. That
was the show right there.

Describe how the British television system differs from
American one. It seems like you do the writing yourself, is that true?

SM: There’s me and
there’s Mark and Steve Thompson to do the other one. Well, we’re only doing
three 90-minute shows. I also run Doctor Who and on Doctor Who we have a whole
bunch of writers. We have shows that run exactly like the American model of
huge teams of writers. We don’t really do the writers rooms but we have team
written shows.

Was there a reason you chose the 90-minute format?

SM: Originally, the
pilot was 60 minutes. We were going to do runs of six or thirteen. BBC said
that the 90 minute shows would cut through more, so we just said yes. We will
do the show if you do it as 3 90’s, so naturally, we said yes. It’s worked very
well for us.

It seems like the second season brings up the more well
known Sherlock Holmes stories, why is that?

SM: We knew it was a
big success and that there were three things everyone wants to see. Let’s do
them right now.

How long does it take to film and produce each episode?

SM: Production takes
three and a half months, something like that. The writing takes several months
before that. We’re all doing other things, so it has to fit around that.

You mentioned you work on Doctor Who, is it hard to
balance between the two shows?

SM: Yes, but I have
to. I don’t have a choice.

How did the transition to PBS take place?

SM: They
contributed; they’re a part of it. They put money into it and they have their
own version of it.

Do you have a favorite Sherlock Holmes story?

SM: Probably “The
Speckled Back”. You can’t top that.

What is your response to the American reaction?

SM: Well, we have
had a phenomenal response everywhere! We have Russian fans for god sakes.

**** You can catch the new season of Sherlock on Sundays at 9/8c starting May 6th ****

Sunday, April 22, 2012

Druid Atticus O’Sullivan hasn’t stayed alive for more than two millennia without a fair bit of Celtic cunning. So when vengeful thunder gods come Norse by Southwest looking for payback, Atticus, with a little help from the Navajo trickster god Coyote, lets them think that they’ve chopped up his body in the Arizona desert.

But the mischievous Coyote is not above a little sleight of paw, and Atticus soon finds that he’s been duped into battling bloodthirsty desert shapeshifters called skinwalkers. Just when the Druid thinks he’s got a handle on all the duplicity, betrayal comes from an unlikely source. If Atticus survives this time, he vows he won’t be fooled again. Famous last words.

REVIEW

In my opinion
Kevin Hearne was one of the best new urban fantasy writers in 2011 (and if you
want my honest opinion one of the best new writers period in 2011). His books
are exciting, full of intricate characters with well written dialog, and are
jam packed with nonstop action. And Tricked,
the fourth book in his Iron Druid Chronicles series, is no exception to this.

Tricked’s action and issues spring primarily from the
ramifications of Hammered. Of
course, unlike most books that act as a bridge for a significant change in the
story arc, Tricked is an amazing
book in its own right. That’s not to say that readers should not read the
previous books in the series first, (being the fourth book in the series, not
reading the other three books first would severely harm the reading enjoyment.)
No, what is meant is that this book, like its predecessors, is well written,
exciting, and full of fantastic characters, making it a must read for any fan
of urban fantasy.

While so many
things are incredible about Tricked and
the entire series, what truly impressed me is how well Kevin Hearne balances
humor, action, and a well developed plot. I honestly found myself laughing out
loud at parts of Tricked (especially
in the conversations between Oberon and Atticus), but at the same time couldn’t
put the book down because it was too darn exciting.

Hearne delivers
a whole new batch of interesting gods and creatures for Atticus to deal with in
this book, which really spice up the story and establish a whole new storyline
for readers to get into. That brings me to another thing I love about the
series and Ticked specifically, how well
Hearne melds the different myths and religions while not detracting from the overall
story. Hearne is a master of lore and it’s obvious in the way that Tricked flows from one god and situation to the next without
skipping a beat, giving enough information so that readers who are unfamiliar
with the god will understand, but at the same time not be overburdened with
needless information.

All in all, Tricked is a fantastic book that is perfect for fans of Jim
Butcher, Ben Aaronvich (another great new urban fantasy author readers should
check out), and Patricia Briggs. Readers will be drawn to the edge of their
seats, and will be fully unable to proceed in any other activity until the last
page of the book is finished. Another must read from the impressive Kevin
Hearne.

(Before reading the summary, read the review, as I advocate for not reading the summary and instead just buying the book.)

All Daniel wants to do is spend one last summer with his grandfather before he moves away for college and his grandfather’s dementia pulls them apart. But when his dear old Da starts to let things slip about the job he used to hold—people he’s killed, countries he’s overthrown—old work “friends” show up to make sure he stays quiet. Was his grandfather really involved in a world of assassinations and coups, or are the stories just delusions of a crumbling mind? On the run from the police (and possibly something worse) before he has time to find out, Daniel may have to sacrifice everything to protect his grandfather from those who would do him harm.

REVIEW

Don’t read the
back of this book, just buy it and enjoy the ride.

If you read the
back of this book, you’ll give away some of the shocking secrets and ruin some
of the beauty that comes from learning these secrets firsthand.

That said even
if you do read the back of the book, it’s still worth buying.

Kill Switch is
shocking and well written.

That sums up the
book pretty succinctly, and explains why you should go out and buy it right
now.

The connection
between Daniel and his grandfather is just as beautiful as the metamorphosis of
the characters is staggering. Even though the book is short it is defiantly
worth the time and money. Chris Lynch just does such a fantastic job creating
gut-wrenching situations in the most common places, while at the same time
keeping the reader at the edge of their seat because of the shocking truths
learned along the way.

All in all, the
characters are beautifully written, the plot touching and invigorating, and the
evolution of the characters and consequences from this evolution just knocks
the air from your lungs leaving you shocked and dumbfounded. A must read for
anyone, period.

Emperor Mollusk versus the Sinister Brain

But what's a villain to do after he's done . . . everything. With no new ambitions, he's happy to pitch in and solve the energy crisis or repel alien invaders should the need arise, but if he had his way, he'd prefer to be left alone to explore the boundaries of dangerous science. Just as a hobby, of course.

Retirement isn't easy though. If the boredom doesn't get him, there's always the Venusians. Or the Saturnites. Or the Mercurials. Or . . . well, you get the idea. If that wasn't bad enough, there's also the assassins of a legendary death cult and an up-and-coming megalomaniac (as brilliant as he is bodiless) who have marked Emperor for their own nefarious purposes. But Mollusk isn't about to let the Earth slip out of his own tentacles and into the less capable clutches of another. So it's time to dust off the old death ray and come out of retirement. Except this time, he's not out to rule the world. He's out to save it from the peril of THE SINISTER BRAIN!

REVIEW

Are you looking for a book that is funny?

Full of action?

What about full of witty, well written characters?

Well Emperor Mollusk versus the Sinister Brain is the book for you then.

EM v. SB is fun, exciting, and really full of interesting and likable characters. How could a person not like a book that includes time travel, giant gelatin monsters, law suits in Atlantis, exploding spaceships, and talking dinosaurs. Of course, besides these wilder ideas, the background for the series is fun and incredibly imaginative, as there is a different species of alien on each planet, and almost all of them hate Emperor Mollusk.

Of course while I loved the fun that Martinez had in making this imaginative universe and situations, I also was very impressed by his characters. Readers get to see the transformation of the Emperor as he goes from evil scientist to renouncing his Empire on Earth, (don’t worry I didn’t give anything away, he starts out renouncing Earth and readers see why through flashback chapters.) Of course, besides the charming and utterly fantastic Emperor, Snarg was a ton of fun to read about. Snarg is the Emperor’s pet ultrapede, and key line of defense against attacks as this ultrapede is as vicious as it is hilarious in its kitten-like attitude around the Emperor.

All in all Emperor Mollusk is a great book. It’s funny, full of interesting and fun characters, and is jam packed with action. Exactly what you’d want in a light read.

Vaudeville: mad, mercenary, dreamy, and absurd, a world of clashing cultures and ferocious showmanship and wickedly delightful deceptions.

But sixteen-year-old pianist George Carole has joined vaudeville for one reason only: to find the man he suspects to be his father, the great Heironomo Silenus. Yet as he chases down his father's troupe, he begins to understand that their performances are strange even for vaudeville: for wherever they happen to tour, the very nature of the world seems to change.

Because there is a secret within Silenus's show so ancient and dangerous that it has won him many powerful enemies. And it's not until after he joins them that George realizes the troupe is not simply touring: they are running for their lives.

And soon...he is as well.

REVIEW

The Troupe is
unlike any book I’ve read in a long while. It is subtle yet gripping in the way
that Bennett weaves this intricate tale of a vaudeville performer looking for
his father, only to discover a truth far greater than he ever could have
imagined.

The characters
were imaginative and deep. As each strikes home in the readers mind with such a
level of clarity and strength that they resonate hours after the last page is
turned. Of course, besides these characters just being well written, they are
also complex with back stories and events that truly caught me off guard and
surprised me.

This level of
surprise is similar to the plot of the book. The Troupe appears to start off slow and methodical,
introducing only enough odd and interesting tidbits of information to string
the reader along. But as the story progresses these tidbits of information and
peculiar occurrences begin to add up, accelerating the story and upping the
level of intrigue until, like a musical crescendo the story reaches a climax that
will engross the reader with a level of excitement that can only be described
as shock and awe.

All in all The
Troupe is magical. It is filled with excitement, intrigue, and will captivate
readers to the final pages. But most importantly it is a beautifully written
work of art that will grip your heart with its final chapters, leaving your
misty eyed and melancholy as you are both happy to have read this work as well
as sad to see it finish. All in all a great book.